Use measurement plug-ins in InstrumentStudio to run reusable measurements across supported devices and workflows.

Note A teal ribbon that signals that a feature is only available with an InstrumentStudio Professional license.This feature is only available with an InstrumentStudio Professional license.

Overview

A measurement plug-in is a reusable measurement that runs as a service and can be used across multiple NI products, including InstrumentStudio and TestStand.

A measurement plug-in includes:

  • Measurement logic
  • Metadata
  • An optional user interface

Measurement plug-ins generate the measurement logic and the metadata in Python or LabVIEW.

Note For Python-based measurement plug-ins, you must install additional development tools and dependencies before you can create or run measurements. For details, see Python Measurement Development Dependencies.

For instructions on running a measurement plug-in in InstrumentStudio, see Running a Measurement Plug-In.

How Measurement Plug-Ins Work

InstrumentStudio does not run measurement logic directly. Instead, it connects to measurement services that run in the background.

When a measurement plug-in is available, InstrumentStudio detects the service and makes the plug-in available in the user interface.

To appear in InstrumentStudio, a measurement plug-in must be:

  • Installed on the system or available through a plug-in library
  • Running or registered as a service

Measurement Plug-Ins compared to InstrumentStudio Plug-Ins

  • Measurement plug-ins provide executable measurements that run as services.
  • InstrumentStudio plug-ins extend the user interface and panel behavior.

Additional Resources

For more information about developing and using measurement plug-ins, see Measurement Plug-Ins User Manual.

Running a Measurement Plug-In

  1. On the Home screen, select Manual layout.
    The Edit layout screen appears.
  2. Locate your measurement plug-in in the list.
    Note If your measurement plug-in does not appear in the Edit layout window, ensure that the plug-in is started. You can configure the plug-in to start automatically or you can start the plug-in manually. For more information, see Statically Register a Measurement Service in the Developing a Measurement Plug-In with LabVIEW section or the Developing a Measurement Plug-In with Python section of the Measurement Plug-Ins User Manual.
  3. Select Create large panel in the drop-down list for your measurement plug-in.
    The large panel updates to list the selected measurement plug-in.
  4. Click OK.
    InstrumentStudio opens a new project and displays the measurement UI.
  5. Optional: If the measurement plug-in requires a pin map, ensure that the project contains a referenced pin map. Also ensure that the pin map is marked as active.
  6. Click Run in the measurement UI.
    Tip You can change the behavior of the Run button so that the measurement runs continuously. Click the arrow at the side of the button and select Run Continuously to change the button behavior. Once the measurement is running, the button text changes. Click Stop to stop the measurement.

Plug-In Versioning

You can manage, select, and synchronize plug-in versions in InstrumentStudio.

Versioned Plug-Ins

For more information on versioning measurement plug-ins with LabVIEW or Python, see Plug-In Versioning in the Measurement Plug-Ins User Manual.

Selecting A Measurement Plug-In Version

You can add a measurement plug-in to your project layout in the Edit layout or the Manual layout windows. Use the version selector drop-down list to select the version of the measurement plug-in that you want to use. If only one version of a plug-in exists, InstrumentStudio displays the version number next to the plug-in.
Note Measurement plug-in versions are automatically synchronized to match the version that is stored in your project.

Synchronizing Plug-In Versions within a Project

You can also synchronize plug-in versions manually. To synchronize the plug-in version that a measurement panel uses, open the instrument settings menu (A cogwheel icon for the instrument settings menu of InstrumentStudio.) and click Synchronize Version. This process updates the panel to use the latest version of your measurement plug-in.
Note InstrumentStudio only applies version synchronization to the selected measurement panel. If multiple panels use the same measurement plug-in, you must repeat this process for each panel that you want to synchronize.